Machinery for cutting and folding fabrics.



PATENTBD NOV. 3, 1903,

E. GOTTRELL. MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND FOLDING FABRICS.

APPLICATION FILED 0OT.4, 1901.

4 SHEETS-SHBET 1.

N0 MODEL.

PATENTED Nov. 3, 1903.

4. SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I B. H. UOTTRELL. MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND FOLDING FABRICS.

APPLIUATION FILED 0013.4, 1901.

PATENTED NOV. 3, 1903.

E. H. GOTTRELL. MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND FOLDING FABRICS.

APPLICATION FILED 0OT.4, 1901.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

NO MODEL.

I HI! lizverziim No. 743,061. N PATENTEDNOV. a, 1903.

. E. H. GOTTRELL. v MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND FOLDING FABRICS.

APPLICATION FILED 0GT.4, 1901. N0 MODEL. 4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

i\l'o. 743,061.

UNITED STATES i atented November 3 190$. I

PATENT OFFICE.

EDGAR I-I. OOTTRELL, OF sTONINeToN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO 0. B.

COTTRELL & soNs COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEWJERSEY.

MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND FOLDING FABRICS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 743,061, dated November3, 1903.

Application filed October 4,1901. Serial No. 77,577. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDGAR H. COTTRELL, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Stonington, in the county of New London and State ofConnecticut, have invented a new and I useful Improvement in Machineryfor Outting and Folding Fabrics, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates more particularly to 0 machines for cuttingsheets from a web of cloth or paper and once folding each so cut sheetsuitably for the manufacture of a bag.

The presentimprovement has for its object a convenient provision foradapting such a machine to the cutting of sheets of various lengths forbags of difierent sizes and the folding of the so cut sheets at theproper part of their length, according to the requirement of thecapacity of the bags to be produced;

and with this object in view the improvement consists in the severalfeatures hereinafter described and claimed, whereby the said object isattained and the efficiency of the machine is increased,

The invention is embodied in the machine illustrated by the accompanyingdrawings, in which- I Figure l is a side elevation of the machine; Fig.2, a vertical section of the same parallel 0 with the sides thereof.Fig. 2* represents a transverse section corresponding with Fig. 2, buton a larger scale, of the tucking-reel and folding-cylinder; Fig. 3, arear elevation of that end of the machine which is at the left 5 in Fig.1; Fig. 3*, a side view of the principal train of gearing of themachine, which is arranged on that side of-the machine which is to theleft in Fig. 3; Fig. 4, a horizontal section of the machine, takenapproximately on the line 4. 4 of Figs. 1, 2, and 3.

A is the stationary framing of the machine,

- in the upper part of which are stationary bearings for the shafts b bof feeding-rollers BB and the shafts c c of the cutter-reels G G.

On the lower part of this framing are the stationary bearings for thespindles R of a roll R from which the web to to ,be cut is supplied, thesaid web passing over a guide-roll 10* to the rollers B B. Below thecutter-reels O C the shaft (1 of a tucking-reel D, the shaft e of afolding-cylinder E, and the shaftfof a delivery-reel F are all arrangedin bearings on a carriage G. This carriage is fitted to slide verticallywithin the framing A and is adjustable upward and downward thereintoward and from the cutter-reels by means of four upright screws H,which are fitted to turn without moving longitudinally in bearings inbrackets h, affixed to theframing A, and the threads of which work innuts g, affixed to said carriage. The said screws H are severallyfurnished with sprocket-wheels h, which receive an endless chain 72 sothat all may be caused to turn together uniformly by means of ahand-wheel h on a short shaft 72 which turns in a bearing on the framing-A and whichcarries a bevel-gear 7L gearing with a bevel-gear h on oneof said screws. For the purpose of securing this adjustment according tothe size of the cut sheets to be folded and the distance from thecutters at which the fold is to be made the carriage G has projectingfrom each side of it two screwthreaded studs 1., which project throughslots 2" in the sides of the framingAand are fitted with clamping-nuts11 outside of the framing A. Thesaid carriage also carries thedeliverytable T,which is at the opposite end of the 1 machine to theroll R.

Between the feedrollers B and the cutter-reels C C there is a fixedupright guide-trunk j for guiding the web to to the cutters 0* 0* of thereels 0 G, and between the cutter-reels and the tuckingreel D andfolding-cylinder E there is arranged another upright guide-trunk j forguiding the web to the said reel and-cylinder. This guide-trunkj'j ismade of twolengths, of which the upper one, j, is fixedly attached tothe framing A and the lower one, 7 is carried by the adjustablecarriage, so that it will always be adjusted with said carriage to keepits exit always at the same distance from and as near as possible to thetucking-reel and folding-cylinder.

The several rollers B B, reels 0 G D F, and cylinder E all derive theirnecessary rotary motion from a driving-shaft I. (See Figs. 3

and 3*.) On this shaft I is a spur-gear 70, which gears with a spur-gearZ on the shaft 0 of the cutter-reel C for the purpose of driv- I00 theframing A and which carries-a spurwheel 0, which gears with a spur-wheelp on the shaft (9 of one of the feed-rollers B. The

other feed-roller B and those B are driven by gearing b* 12* from thesaid shaft 1). The amount of material cut by the web by each operationof the cutters 0* 0* is regulated by the relative speeds of thefeed-rollers and the cutter-reels. If it be desired to cut a longer orshorter sheet for a larger or smaller bag, the gear 0 is replaced by alarger or smaller gear, and the stud n is adjusted downward or upward inthe slot 11*, provided for it in the framing A, so that while the pinionn is always in gear with Z the larger gear attached to it will gear withp on the first feed-roller. By having a set of gears of proper differentsizes sheets of any desired length may be cut from the web. Thecutter-reels and their cutters may be of any suitable kind; but I preferto use those Which are the subject of United States Letters Patent of O.B. Oottrell, No. 391,949.

At the time of the cutting of the Web it is necessary that the movementof the cutters shall be at the same speed as that of the web; but as thespeed of the web relatively to that of the driving-shaft is varied bythe changes of the gear 0, as before described, and the gearing betweenthe driving-shaft and the cutter-shafts is such that the latter alwaysmake the same number of revolutions relatively to the former I make thedriving-gear Z loose on the cutter-shaft c and provide for the drivingof the said shaft by said gear an arm 7", (see Figs. 3 and 3*,) which isfixed on the said shaft, and a stud or lateral projection 8 on saidgear, which runs behind said stud. reels to receive when renderednecessary for the cutting of longer sheets a sufficiently acceleratedmovement relatively to and independent of the gear at the time of theoperation of the cutters. For the purpose of this accelerated movementthere is provided on the shaft 0' a disk q, carrying a toothed sector q,(see Figs. 1 and 3,) which properly arranged relatively to the cuttersengages with and receives motion during the operation of the cuttersfrom a gear g turning on a fixed stud g on the framing, the said gear 1deriving motion from a gear g on the shaft b of one of the feed-rollersB. The said gears 61 g and the pitch radius of the sector are soproperly proportioned that the said sector receiving motion from thegear g causes the cutters to be driven at the same speed as the web.After the cutting operation the sector q having passed out of engagementwith the gear g leaves the arm '1' on the cutter-shaft free to beovertaken by the stud s on the gear Z, and the cutter-reels are againdriven by the said gear until the also another bevel-gear K time for thenext cutting operation, when the accelerated driving by'the gear andsector q again takes place. The accelerating devices above described arethe subject of United States Letters Patent of C. B. Oottrell, No.431,201, and are only here described to i show their connection with thepresent invention.

The tucking-reel D, the folding-cylinderE, and the delivery-reel F areall geared together to rotate at the same speed by spur-gears D E F, andfor the purpose of driving them there is provided on the driving-shaft Ia bevel-gear J, which gears with a bevel-gear K on an upright shaft K,on which there is The gear K receives motion from the bevel-gear J, andK gives motion to a bevel-gear D on the shaft of the tucking-reel. Thesaid shaft K has its upper bearing in a stationary bracket K on theframing A. The bevel-gear K has its hub fitted to turn in, but isconfined vertically to, a bracket G on the said carriage G,

and the shaft K is so fitted to the said gear K with a spline and groovethat the said gear will remain engaged with said shaft, while the saidgears K and D remain engaged as they move up and down with the carriageand the reels and cylinders D F E.

It will be observed that by the mounting of the tucking and folding anddelivery devices and the delivery-table all on one carriage, which isadjustable toward and from the cutters, as hereinafter described, theadjustment of the said devices and table forthe cutting of sheets ofvarious lengthsis effected without disturbing the cooperative relationbetween said devices and table, while with the system of gearing abovedescribed the I provision for the driving of the said several devicesadjusts itself automatically as the 1 devices themselves are adjusted.

This permits the shaft and cutter- 1 The tucking-reel D is fitted, asbest shown in Fig. 2*, with a tucking-blade t, which swings on aspindle25, which runs lengthwise The gripper U is fixed lengthwise through thecylinder. The tucking-blade t is operated in the rotation of its reel Dby means of an arm 15* on one end of its spindle running against astationary cam 29, attached to the framing A. The folding-grippers U areoperated in the rotation of their cylinder E by means of an arm 11. onone end of their spindle U, which runs against a cam u stationary on theframing :A. Under the folding-cylinder there is arranged apressing-roller 2, (see Fig. 2,) carried by elbow-levers z, pivoted tothe sides of the carriage.

To one of these levers there is applied a spring 2 for the purpose ofkeeping the roller 2 pressed up toward the cylinder and confining thefolded sheets thereto as they pass toward the. delivery-reel. Thetucking-reel D is fitted with a longitudinallyreciprocating blade u*,preferably serrated, which runs throughits whole length in guides inhangers a affixed to certain of the disks of the reel, 'and thefolding-cylinder has affixed to it two blades u, preferablyserrated,between which in the rotation of the reel and the cylinder the blade 16*operates with a shear-like'action to complete the severance of the web,which may have been only, especially in the case of cloth, imperfectlyeffected by the rotary cutters 0* 0*. The reciprocating movement of theblade u* in one direction is produced by a stationary cam 6 on one sideof the framing, against which runs a roller 7 attached to one end ofsaid blade, the said movement in the other directionbeing produced by acoil-spring 8, which connects the said blade with an arm 9 on the shaftd.

The tucking reel and folding-cylinder, with their grippers and bladesabove described, are all like those employed in other cutting andfolding machines except that for the purpose of adapting them to thecutting of sheets of varying lengths the blades w and u are madeadjustable at difierent distances from the tucking blade and foldinggrippers. This adjustment of the blade 20* is provided for by making thehangers M, which carry the blade-holder u adjustable on the leaves ordisks of the reel in the direction of arcs of circles concentric withthe shaft (1, arc-formed slots being provided in said hangers for thepassage of the screw-bolts it, which clamp the hangers to said disks orleaves. The corresponding adjustment of the blades -Lt' is provided forby securing said blades to or in an arc-formed plate 1), which isreceived upon a recessed part of the cylinder and is adj ustablecircumferentially thereon. The said plate o is clamped to the cylinderby screws 7 12 which are screwed thereinto and pass through slots in thesaid plate, the heads of the said screws being countersunk into saidslots, so as to be flush with the face of the cylinder.

The delivery-reelF is of awell-known kind, having grippers m for takingthe folded sheets from the cylinder E and delivery-grippers y forthrowing off the sheets from said reel onto the table T. These grippersare operated, respectively, as the reel rotates by means of stationarycams w and y on the framing.

What I claim as my invention is 1. In a cutting and folding machine, thecombination with a cutting device, of rotary folding devices anddelivery devices and a delivery-table all adjustable together inoooperative relation with each other toward and from said cuttingdevice, substantially as and riage located under said cutting device andadjustable to and from it, folding devices and a delivery-reel anddelivery-table all on said carriage, and means for adjusting saidcarriage toward and from the cutting device, substantially as hereindescribed.

3. The combination with a tucking-reel and folding-cylinder and theirrespective cooperating tucking-blade and foldingrippers, of twocooperative cutting-blades one on said reel and the other on saidcylinder and the two adjustable circumferentially, on said reel andcylinder respectively, at difierent distances from the tucking-blade andfoldinggrippers, substantially as and for the purpose herein described.

4. The combination with a tucking-reel and folding-cylinder and theirrespective cooper ating tucking-blades and folding-grippers, of twocooperative cutting-blades one on said reel and the other on saidcylinder and means for producing a longitudinal reciprocating movementof one of said cutting-blades in a direction lengthwise of the reel andcylinder, substantially as herein described.

5. The combination with atucking-reel and folding-cylinder and theirrespective cooperating tucking-blades and folding-grippers, of twocooperative revolving cutting-blades one revolving with said reel andthe other with said cylinder, a spring applied to one'ofsaidcutting-blades for drawing it lengthwise in one direction parallel withthe length of the reel and cylinder and a stationary cam for producingthe movement of said blade in the opposite direction by its ownrevolution, substantially as herein described.

6. In a cutting and folding machine, the combination with acuttingdevice, of a tucking-reel furnished with a tucking-blade and afolding-cylinder furnished with foldinggrippers, said reel and cylindersbeing adjustable together at difierent distances from the cuttingdevice, and cooperating cutters on said reel and cylinder adjustabletoward and from the said tucking-blade and foldinggrippers respectivelyaccording to the distance of said reel and cylinder from said cuttingdevice, substantially as herein described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname, in presence of two witnesses, this 2d day of October 1901.

EDGAR H. COTTRELL.

Witnesses:

EDGAR A. TREDWELL, J. W. DICKINSON.

